England’s match against Australia tonight is effectively do-or-die as the hosts teeter on the brink of World Cup oblivion.
– EXCLUSIVE: Breyton Paulse on the magic of Twickenham
To say the tournament has not gone to plan for coach Stuart Lancaster is an understatement and the media has been harsh in its assessment of the England coach.
One critique came from the unlikely source of former Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy, who focused on England’s failed midfield experiment against Wales.
In a well-balanced article, the 82-times capped D’Arcy questioned the wisdom of ‘trialing’ Sam Burgess in a ‘Pool of Death’ match that has been four years in the making.
Retrospect is a wonderful thing and it was a poor decision, but in restoring Brad Barritt to 12 and welcoming back Jonathan Joseph outside him, Australia will have a tougher time breaking down the white wall than Wales did.
In the week preceding the Wales game, the England management made it obvious that they were only focusing on their own performance. The same mistake cannot be made against the Wallabies who substitute a less effective scrum than England for a far superior arsenal of attacking weapons in the backline. In Israel Folau the men from Down Under have arguably the most consistent full-back in world rugby. However the biggest threat to England at Twickenham will come in the form of Australia’s self-styled ‘Pooper’.
The combination of David Pocock and Michael Hooper has proved a masterstroke from streetwise coach Michael Cheika.
The marauding duo are both natural number sevens and as such are able to steal, or at least slow down, opposition attacks with consummate ease.
In this way the Australians will look to nullify England’s most dangerous backline threat Joseph. The Bath centre will look to dance his way through the narrowest of holes in the opposition defence, but can only achieve this with a constant source of quick ball.
To nullify ‘Pooper’, Chris Robshaw and his back row colleagues will need to be at their ruthless best at the ruck area and produce a solid attacking platform for in-form scrum-half Ben Youngs.
With agile second-row Joe Launchbury replacing injured Courtney Lawes, England will enjoy a stronger presence on the ground than they did against Wales.
Following Wales’ narrow win over Fiji, a loss to Australia will see England become the first host nation who fail to reach the knockout stages. But victory here will put the hosts firmly in the driving seat, especially given their bonus point claimed against Fiji.
England must harness the power of Twickenham to build vital momentum, ensure that points are taken when on offer and be utterly clinical in defence and attack. One mistake will likely decide the outcome for either side.
Lancaster has a contract with the Rugby Football Union until 2020, which will take him through until the next World Cup in Japan in 2019. However failure to win the next 80 minutes of rugby could make it a long five years for the England coach.
